Music-roll



P. S. McLEAN.

MUSIC ROLL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22,'I9I8.

Patented May 18, 1920.

INVE/I/TOR PHILIP S. MCLEAN, 0F BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC-ROLL.

Application filed August 22, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,.PHIL11 S. BICLEAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Bloomfield, New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Music-Roll, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to music rolls such as are used with automatic player pianos and the like.

The objects of the invention are to provide the music roll and the container therefor in the form of a single unitary package which can be handled as such and which therefore will keep the roll properly protected at all times.

A special object of the invention is to provide a compact, practical, unitary package of this character in which the roll with its at.- tached container can be readily inserted in the player and in which when thus mounted in the player, the music roll spool will be relieved of the weight of the box and will therefore turn with entire freedom.

In the present forms of my invention these results are accomplished by supporting the box, when the spool. is engaged with the supporting spindles provided therefor, on ledges which take the entire weight of the box and support the same free of the spool therein. These ledges may be simply stationary shelves projected inwardly from the opposite sides of the music rollcompartment of the player, disposed at proper dis tances beneath the supporting spindle.

My invention embodies also the provision of supporting means arranged to interchangeahly support boxes and rolls of different sizes.

Other features of the invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention embodied in several different forms but I would have it understood that other changes and modifications may be made withoutv departure from the true spirit and scope of theinvention.

In said drawing I Figure 1, is a partly broken front view of the roll package as in place in a player of typical. construction.

Fig. 2, is a cross sectional view thereof Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Way 18, 1. 20.

Serial No. 250,916.

taken substantially on the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a broken partly sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 4, is a cross sectional view of the same taken substantially on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The rolls illustrated are of the conventional type now in general use, embodying a spool made up of end heads 7 and an intermediate drum or barrel 8, on which the rec ord sheet 9 is wound, said end heads being socketed or otherwise constructed to engage with the usual supporting spindles 10 of the player mechanism.

Surrounding and incasing the record spool is a protective box or casing 11 having a slot or opening 12 in the front side thereof for the passage of the record strip and provided with openings 13 in the opposite ends thereof exposing the ends of the spool to enable the engagement of the same with the supporting spindles. The strip passage in the front of the box may be provided with a cover is which is shown as hingedly attached to the box 15.

The box is supported, when the roll is in position in the player, by supporting means consisting in the pre'ent disclosure of the supports or shelves l6 and 17 shown as carried by the opposite side walls of the music roll casing 18 of the player, said shelves as indicated in Fig. 1, being projected inardly beneath the spindles to a point where they will be engaged by and will support the opposite end portions of the box.

In use, the unitary package, consisting of the record roll and the inclosing casing, are inserted in the player by engaging the exposed ends of the spool with the driving nd supporting spindles 10 in the usual way and in the act of thus placing the roll in the player, the box will be carried into position to rest at its opposite ends upon the relatively stationary supporting shelves 16, 17 provided therefor. In this condition of the parts, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the box is supported free of the spool and the spool therefore turns freely and entirely independently of the box.

' To assist in. accurately positioning the box on the supporting shelves, stops such as indicated at 19 may be provided for initially positioning the box and for preventing lateral shitting thereof.

To prevent the cover let from standing in the way when the roll package placed in the player, I have provided means for automatically swinging said cover to open position as the package is inserted in place, said means being shown in the form of an outwardly xtending projection or lug 20 on the-forward edge of the shelf 17 extended upward at a slight angle indicated in Fig. 2- so as to pick up the edge of he cover as t box is engaged with the supporting led e at this end.

The rolls as Well known, *ary more or less in diameter in accordance with the length of the record but the boxes might be made all of the one size, in which event a single set of supporting shoulders would sui'lice for all sizes of rolls. The usual practice however, is to make the box correspond approximately to the size of the roll. The boxes for instance, may be in two sizes, a large size for the larger rolls and a small size for the medium and small rolls. To accommodate these boxes of different sizes I may employ the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the supporting shelves are shown as stepped or provided with supporting shoulders and 23 of different height or different distances from the longitudinal centers of the supporting spindles. In this case the lower steps 22 are disposed at the proper point to engage and support the larger size boxes and the upper steps 23, are located so as to engage and support the boxes of smaller cross sectional size. As the upper steps are set back somewhat, or spaced farther apart, I propose, with this construction, to make the smaller size boxes, indicated enerally at 24, of greater length, so as to bridge the greater distance between these upper steps. This construction therefore provides a means for interchangeably supporting the boxes of different cross sectional sizes. The longer boxes may have a cut out such as indicated at 25, in the back wall thereof to provide clearance for the supporting spindle. It will be understood that in this construction of long and short boxes, the record spools will be all or"? the same length and the longer boxes will be made usually by simply providing end ex tensions thereon. of sutlicient length to reach the upper supporting steps.

Where the ledges are of stepped forumtion, as just described, a trip for the cover may be provided for each ledge, the upper ledge being shown as provided with a trip 26 similar to the outstanding cover trip 4d of the lower supporting shoulder but disposed so as to engage only the cover 27 of the smaller size boxes.

In Figs. 3 and l I have illustrated a corn struction for the interchan eable support of different size boxes in which the need for making the boxes of different length is avoided. In this construction the boxes are of thr same length and the boxes of different cross se tional size are supported on supporting ledges or shoulders of different height and wl ich can be selectively employed, as required. Specifically, the supporting means here shown is in the nature of a pair of turn buttons 28 and 29 mounted on pivot studs 2-30 at opposite ends of the roll compartment, beneath the spindles and provided on opposite faces thereof with the high and low supporting shoulders 31 and 3'1) 'vely. With this construction when the large size rolls are played, the turn buttons are adjusted to bring the lower supporting shoula ers 32 uppermost as indicated in full lines and when the smaller size records are to be played, these buttons are rotated to bring the higher supporting shoulders 81, uppermost, said supporting shouloers serving in each instance to properly support the box while the record is being played.

I claim 1. In combination, a music roll spool adapted to be supported by player mechanism, a box attached to said spool and providing a covering by which the roll may be handled in placing the roll in the player and removing it therefrom, said box being constructed to permit the engagement of the spool therein with the player mechanism and to permit the issuance of the music sheet therefrom when the spool is engaged with the player mechanism, and means for supporting said box wholly independently of its attachment to the spool when the spool is in place and supported by the player mechanism.

2. In combination with player mechanism, including spindles for supporting a record spool, a record spool for engagement with said spindles, a box inca sing said spool and provided with openings in its opposite ends exposing the ends of the spool to enable engagement of the same with the supporting spindles, and relatively stationary ledges on the player mechanism engaging the box to support the same independently of the spool while said spool is engaged with the spindles.

3.. In combination with player mechanism 'niovided with a ccn'ipartinent for receiving the music rolls and with roll-sup porting spindles projecting inwardly from opposite side walls of said. compartment, shelves pro jecting inwardly from. said opposite side walls below said spindles, a music roll spool adapted for engagement at its opposite ends with the spindles and a box incasing said spool provided with openings in its opposite ends exposing the ends of the spool for engagement with the spindles, said box resting on the supporting shelves aforesaid when the spool is engaged with the spindles.

4-,. In combination with player mechanism, including a roll-receiving compartment and roll supporting spindles projecting inwardly from opposite sides of said compartment. relatively stationary supporting shoul ders within said compartment in a plane beneath and between said spindles, a box rested on said supporting shoulders and a music roll spool housed in said box and engaged at its opposite ends with the supporting spindles, said box having openings in the opposite ends thereof exposing the ends of the spool for engagement with said spindles.

5. In combination with a player mechanism, including roll-supporting spindles, a music roll spool engaged at its opposite ends with said spindles, a box incasing said spool provided with openings in its opposite ends exposing the ends of the spool for engagement of the same with the supporting spindles, means for supporting said box in dependently of the spool while said spool is engaged with the spindles and means for positioning the box on said supporting means.

6. In combination with player mechanism including rollsupporting spindles. a music roll spool engaged with said spindles, a box incasing said spool and provided with openings in its opposite ends exposing the ends of the spool for engagement with the spindles, a relatively stationary ledge on the player mechanism for supporting the box independently of the spool and a stop for positioning said box on said ledge.

7. In combination with player mechanism including roll-supporting spindles, a music roll spool adapted for engagement at its opposite ends with said spindles, a box incas ing said roll provided with an opening in the front thereof for the music roll sheet and with a hinged cover for said opening, said box having openings in its opposite ends exposing the ends of the spool and means for holding the cover of said box open when the spool is engaged with the supporting spindles aforesaid.

8. In combination'with player mechanism, including rollsu1'iporting spindles, a music roll spool adapted for engagement at its opposite ends with said spindles, a box incasing said roll provided with an opening in the front thereof for the music roll sheet and with a hinged cover for said opening, said box having openings in its opposite ends exposing the ends of the spool, means for supporting the box independently of the spool and means for holding the cover of the box open when said box is engaged with the supporting means therefor.

9. In combination with player mechanism,

including roll-supporting spindles, a music roll spool adapted for engagement at its opposite ends with said spindles, a box incasing said roll provided with an opening in the front thereof for the music roll. sheet and with a hinged cover for said opening, said box having openings in its opposite ends exposing the ends of the spool, a ledge for supporting the box when the spool is engod with the spindles aforesaid, and a projection from said ledge for engaging the cover to hold said cover open while the box is engaged on said supporting ledge.

10. In combination with music roll spools of different sizes and boxes incasing said spools and of variable size in accordance with the sizes of the spools contained there in, said boxes having openings-in the opposite ends thereof exposing the ends of the spools, player mechanism including support ing spindles for engagement with said exposed ends of the spools and means on said player mechanism for interchangeably supporting said boxes of different sizes independently of the spools contained therein.

ll. In combination with music roll spools and boxes containing the same of different cross sectional sizes to suit the different sizes of spools, said boxes having openings in the opposite ends thereof exposing the ends of the spools. player mechanism including supporting spindles for the spools and box supporting means comprising a plurality of supporting shoulders arranged to engage the boxes of different sizes to support the same independently of the spools within said boxes.

12. In combination with music roll spools of different diameters, boxes incasing said spools and of different cross sectional sizes to fit said spools, said boxes having openings in the opposite ends thereof exposing the ends of the spools therein and the boxes of different cross sectional sizes being of different length, player mechanism including supporting spindles for engagement with the exposed ends of the spools and a plurality of supporting shoulders projecting to different distances in the longitudinal plane of the spool to selectively engage and support said boxes of different length.

13. In combination with music roll spools and boxes containing the same, said boxes being of different lengths and provided with openings at opposite ends thereof exposlng the ends of the spools, player mechanism including supporting spindles for engaging the exposed ends of the spools and stepped supporting means for engaging and supporting said boxes of different lengths.

14:. In combination with music roll spools and boxes containing the same, said boxes being of different sizes and provided with openings in the opposite ends thereof to expose the ends of the spools therein, player 10 provided with openings in the opposite ends thereof to expose the ends of the spools therein, player mechanism including supporting spindles for engagement with the exposed ends of the spools and supporting means for the boxes comprising box supporting shoulders disposed at different distances from the spindles to fit the boxes of different cross sectional size.

PHILIP S. MoLEAN, 

